Will Wallets become the new passé?

As our world continues to thrive on the web, one may ask if wallets and business cards are destined to go the way of the credit card?

As our world continues to thrive on the
web, one may ask if wallets and business cards are destined to go the way of
the credit card? With the implementation of smartphones containing new
technologies like NFC (near field communication) projected to dispense with
physical cards. Users are offered a far more refined and dynamic way of
conducting every day transactions.

As we move forward, will future
generations, move away from items that have been a necessity to function in
today’s world?

Business cards have their origins in the 15th
century China. Wallets, as they are known today, were invented in the late
1600’s. Almost immediately after paper currency was introduced in
Massachusetts.

By the 17th century, visiting cards
or visite
biletes were in use in Europe amongst the
aristocratic and royal households. It was during this period that one could be
hung for pickpocketing a wallet, or at the very least, condemned to several
years on the wretched prison ships moored around England and France. The use of
trade cards had by then also become common practice in England, serving as a
form of promotion for businesses as well as giving directions, due to the
insufficient street signage.

As the centuries passed, the
business card and wallet evolved. By the 18th and 19th
century, the middle class along side the upper class, used cards to display
social connections. Rules and customs dictated how a card was presented,
received and displayed.

The industrial revolution saw a
moderation of social convention, with businessmen both in the United States and
Europe beginning to use cards to display contact information. It was during
this time that a distinction came about between a visiting card and a business
card. To present a business card to a household was to suggest a bill required
payment. This period is considered that in which, the business card became the
preferred means for conducting business introductions.

To return to the original
question, will wallets become the new pass?

Melbourne duo Simon Dunn-Vaughan
and Darren Inglis of iLID iPhone Case, designers and manufacturers of the
innovative iLIDmk-1 iPhone wallets believe not. “The iLIDmk-1 is the world’s
thinnest iPhone wallet, designed specifically with NFC technology in mind. Our
brief was to try and create a “wallet” that was in line with the direction that
phones were heading” Inglis said.

“We looked at the way credit
cards would be replaced but recognised that users would still need to keep
their license, business cards, and keys, regardless of the phone’s function.”
Said Dunn-Vaughan “So we build a case that did just that”.

With technological advancements
such as NFC coming to the fore, one wonders if the history of the simply card
and wallet that has served households, from the most humble to the most royal,
for centuries will endure as future generations become ever more connected in
the online world.

Pre orders are now being offered at www.ilidiphonecase.com
with early supporters also receiving a limited edition “world’s
thinnest 1gb usb stick” as a thank you to helping with the launch of the
product.